Aromatic crispy duck from my local Chinese takeaway is my all time favourite, even though they can’t be arsed to shred the duck for me when I’m paying them big bucks as a loyal customer. A bit too loyal in my case ;-). Anyway…. in their Crispy Duck with Pancakes version, the Hairy Dieters have created a much lighter fakeaway option which isn’t a bad imitation of the real thing.
You can get good quality duck breasts from Sainsburys, but if I was making this again I’d shred the meat and the spring onions and cucumber much more finely to make them sit more comfortably in the pancakes. Overall, not a bad effort, but given the cost of duck breasts I don’t think my Chinese takeaway is in danger of losing my business anytime soon!
For more fab fakeaway ideas, click here.
Recipe: Crispy Duck with Pancakes
Calories: 300 per serving
Serves: 4
Book: Hairy Dieters – Make it Easy
Prep time: Approx 20 minutes
Cooking time: Approx 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 duck breasts (skinned)
- 30g fresh root ginger (finely grated)
- 1 bunch spring onions (finely shredded lengthways)
- ½ cucumber (deseeded)
- 8 small Chinese pancakes
- 40g hoisin sauce (1 tsp per pancake)
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
Cost per portion: Approx £3.64
Method:
Put the duck breasts in a saucepan and cover them with water. Add salt, then bring the water to the boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer, and poach the breasts for about 10 minutes until the meat is cooked through and tender. Remove the breasts from the liquid, place them on a chopping board and shred the meat as finely as you can.
Heat 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a wok. When the air above the oil has started to shimmer, the oil will be hot enough to add the duck. Fry the meat briskly for 3-4 minutes, until it is crisping up nicely round the edges, then add the ginger. Season generously with salt and pepper and continue to stir-fry until the duck is crisp. Transfer to a warmed serving plate.
Arrange the spring onions and cucumber on a serving dish and heat the pancakes according to the packet instructions.
To eat, spread the pancakes with hoisin sauce, add duck, spring onions and cucumber, then roll up and enjoy.
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